Mandarin Buffet in Northampton

Always great choice and great food

The food was all good quality and readily available. Not a big eater though, so wasn’t the best value for us. I wouldn’t rush back but that’s a personal choice, no discredit to the restaurant

Well worth the 45 min journey from MK. Very busy on a Sunday but just means the food is hot and fresh 😁 Huge variety but expect a good 40 min queue for the candy floss machine!

I had my first experience at the Mandarin. Strange place. Security guard on door for 3pm opening. Left queuing outside in the cold even with booking, I saw the, I presume manager, rudely exit a couple that were not booked in, I had several, yes several staff members walk into me rather than being courteous of the customer, the waitress and waiters were top, polite, quick to come over and friendly. The rest left me rather bamboozled to their approach, why have good food (except the satay) a great pudding section, a very well decorated establishment with rude management and other staff members. It was a birthday that I'd noted and we were next to the bin for scraping food in, I would go again, but I would be specifying where to sit and taking a carer so I can enjoy being there without worrying about any altercations after being repeatedly touched by hurried staff members, got your money now eat and go. Shame because so many positives and if it hadn't been for the waiters and waitresses and my presence being due to a birthday, I would have been making my feelings clear on the day, THANKYOU WAITING STAFF you saved the day!

came for first time ever for a date meal with partner without our kids was awful experience food was cold bland and when went to get deserts there was other people also getting deserts but as I went to get a slice of cake a older Chinese lady yelled at me that the machine wasn't ready and to go away for 5 mins while sorted it I wasn't wanting a machine but I felt disrespected as she didn't speak to any other customers that way nor did she tell them to go away really upset me I don't think I will ever return again as I worked in silver service waitressing for years and I never spoke to customers that way as was always polite as was always taught customers come first and to be respectful of them but I will embarrassed in front of other customers which is not ok it was degrading shame on your staff for making a paying first time customer feel that way if you treat customers this way you will end up out of buissness

First time coming and won't be my last! What a lovely place this is so clean and tidy!! Staff are friendly and super attentive. I had a great time with my friends and the food was delicious. Well worth the money, we opted to come at 530 till 715 and this was plenty of time to eat. Parking was easy when we came at 530 but when we left parking was manic but it was still fine we got out ok.

Great service and very good food

It’s the only restaurant that I’ve booked to go to, but when you arrive the doorman shuts the door in your face and leaves you waiting in the rain until he is ready. I can’t believe I pay for that pleasure, but my family enjoy going there. The food is okay, my microwave has similar capabilities. The service inside is speedy and efficient but not particularly friendly.

I’ve been a few times before but haven’t been for some time. Me & my friend wanted a good ole catch up so decided to re visit mandarins. We had a lovely experience. On arrival we weren’t kept too long in foyer to be seated. We were met by staff in a friendly welcoming kind manner including the lovely doorman very professional & was shown to our table. Other staff friendly asked what drinks we would like or need more time to look at drinks menu. Lots of variations of food options all tasted lovely many choices to suit all peoples preferences. We were glad we re visit as when we looked online there was some off putting reviews & as much as appreciate on their website needs guidelines in place to be notified of for all customers etc eg parking, food wastage, time keeping of reserved table, time limit for your table so least you know what’s what. We had plentiful of flavoursome food & the buffet containers were always topped up. The new option for a sweet tooth was the candy floss machine what a winner that is. Only constructive feedback is the rice/noodle area I love vermicelli rice noodles & they were very cold so I don’t know if there was a heating element that had broke which appreciate takes time to fix so would be better to not have that in use whilst having that issue until fixed. As that is a food waste of the chefs time with them cooking fresh noodles to be put in a broken heating element to keep the correct temperature. Would definitely recommend a week night treat to families theres no queuing all food pots topped up everything available & staff very friendly kind & attentive. The reason why it’s been a while re visiting as are last few visits we were put off by a particular older lady staff member who was always abrupt no friendly customer service & after rushing you along then without even asking for your bill she use to shove a card reader in front of your face to pay the bill before your time slot ended & then say tips for staff too very rudely! So this time round we came out with a very positive lovely time so based on tonight it looks like the owner/s have recognised & doing everything to make sure their customers are happy so well done mandarins your certainly got a great team in staff 👌👏👏 we will look forward to another visit Thank you to all staff from the restaurant & the chefs to the doorman a great team you have.

Terrible experience. The food was served cold, had no taste, and there were very few options. The meat was extremely dry, making it even worse. Drinks were overpriced, and the overall quality of the food was just embarrassing. Definitely not worth the money. Wouldn’t recommend at all!

Excellent food. Friendly staff I do recommend the buffet

Visited here many time but after this will not return. The car park was full. We had to wait 30 mins to park. We arrived at venue 10 mins before table time. When we walked in was told we was late. Table has been passed on but still have to pay the full price and sent home. Trouble with this place being busy is The queues were massive. So you finally get noodles on plate. By the time you get to the next thing you want everything else is stone cold. We used to rate this place but overtime they have cared less and less about the customer and their feelings. You can’t leave food or you get charged for that too. People compare this place to a military came and now I see why. The management staff don’t actually care about you. Just all these tricks to get more money out of you. They also have no sympathy or do anything to support you as a customer. Makes you feel really uncomfortable eating here. We’ve also turned up and the wrong time was booked by accident. They do nothing to help, get told tough and go home. They only care that they are fully booked. oriental paradise is much better. The food is better and the service is 1000 x better. They actually care for you and want you to enjoy your meal. If you can’t decide which one. Go oriental. It’s all you can eat ordered from menu. Fresh and hot. Polite friendly staff too.

Realy nice food and staff well worth it's money

Good food and vibes. Lovely selection of food. Waiters were quick to pick up plates.

Came home and threw up three times, prawns 'mushy' these were the whole prawns, the prawn cocktail ones were fine, but ate as £20 charge for wasting food!! The lamb piece pictured I could not chew! lots of meat was dry, main meals were not tasty which was so disappointing, prawn sesame toast was good, the dessert cubes which are usually my favourite were warm, candy floss machine queue too long to wait, the whole experience was shocking, arrived a little earlier than booked as traffic was good to be rudly turned away, came back and seated,pressured to order drinks immediately before looking properly at the drinks menus, cocktail was nice but expensive, staff up and down the lines like a military camp, tiny tables, felt very unrelaxed. I usually love places like this but honestly would say the one at Milton Keynes is far better quality food, staff, seating and experience. I would not recommend or come back again. A lot of money to come home and throw up.

The food was tasty, the staff were lovely and we went when it was busy and still had great service

Parking slot don t have enought and after am have parking ticket bicause am waithing parking space this is something joke am speend more then 600pound and now is ticket well done

Food was great, plenty of choice and it was good quality, staff were ok tables were cleared and prepped quickly amd efficiently. It's a big open building so a little noisy but for what it does it's very good, it was our first visit amd I'mbsurr we'll be back.

Very dry and not nice not coming back gone down use to be nice and wow £21 and drinks on top not good and the toilets was a horrible smell 🤢

Food was tasteless, cold and dry. Drinks over priced. Was charged £11 for my 2year old who only had half a chip as they were dry, cold and tasted like cardboard and so was the chicken. When I complained to manger he began shouting get out at the top of his voice to me and my 2year old, this was an attempt to install fear and panic and embarrassment, I was also pushed towards the door and surrounded by waiters, one attempt to snatch my sons fruit juice claiming I had not paid for it. I was then followed to my car being abused by what looked like kitchen staff. I have never been treated in such a hostile manner and would strongly advise people not to dine there. It was like Iceland food, not what I expected.

Am have parking ticket cous am over 2 hour with 4 min

Beautiful experience whenever we visit

Very clean and the staff very good. The quality of the food very good as well.

Beautiful, tasty, and wonderfully bravo

Thought we would treat ourselves. Family of 5, including a 3 year old. Good choice of food, including English stuff like chips, onion rings, chicken nuggets. Sushi, curry, loads of oriental dishes. Big selection. All the food I tried was really nice, good quality meat. Bit of a queue at the candy floss machine but that was it. No issues and plenty of food, all being replaced quickly. Loads of staff everywhere who cleared plates etc quickly and seemed attentive. Only issue i had was the price, at £90 for us, excluding any drinks it was the same cost as our weekly food shop. My 3 year old ate 2 scoops of ice cream & some sweets and that cost £11. My 10 year old is tall for is age and so cost same price as adult (£22.99 i think it was). Everyone enjoyed themselves but at that price sadly we cant afford to return. Parking also was a challenge as the car park isn't really big enough for all the stores there, but at least that was free.

I came for my first visit with my partner and I have no faults apart from one thing. The hair that was in my food when I went back to the table. I had noticed the hair and I genuinely put me off. I left the meat and the bit of hair on a tissue next to the plate in view so that staff was able to see what I had found. Yet they had taken the plates and ignored the tissue, as in left it on the table. My experience otherwise was good up until that point.

Is very good, but they should try to change something to the menu...or to have days with different things...maybe I will go more often

First visit in years. Service was good but £150 for 4 people was a bit much for what it was. The food was edible but not great quality. But of a shame for our son's 18th.

It was somewhat disappointing. I was really surprised when I took a plate of starters, mostly different chicken bits. I couldn't eat them as they were rubbery, they were either overcooked or/and had been under the light a long time. Either way they were not edible. I was so surprised to see "egg fried rice" as boiled rice with bits of scrambled eggs. It wasn't egg fried rice at all, it was egg and rice. The variety of dishes on offer is good but quality is questionable. The very worst for me however is how all staff began cleaning floors around us while we were still eating. The vacuum was out. Mops, brooms etc. I was quite shocked, as a restaurant owner myself I would NEVER do that with customers evening the restaurant much less with them still eating. For me it speaks volumes about what you think of your customers and how much you value them. I understand staff want to go home, however this was around 9:15 and you close at 10 pm. Your website says you are a "fine dining buffet restaurant". No no. That would never happen in a fine dining restaurant. Plus food quality needs to be much better to justify the "fine dining" claim.

It was very cold in the restaurant. The buffet style service was luke warm, although the food was cooked. The staff were helpful

Although we arrived early, we were seated straight away. The servers were good, drinks were served quickly and the food options were fantastic. It was out first visit here and we'll definitely be going back, it was a great evening and an excellent experience. Thank you to all at Mandarin Buffet.

great food good price all you can eat. fortune cookies can be quite funny

Had a lovely meal with my family, the staff clear the table very quickly and with a smile. We will be returning

The management are very rude. Went for my uncles birthday with my 2 kids aged 10 and 11 and just because they were slightly over 1.4m they had to pay full price even though all they eat is chicken nuggets (which they didn’t even have that night except some with shrimp which they don’t even eat. I politely explained that it doesn’t make sense for them to be charged full price £21 and they turned around and said they were seen eating ice cream. So imagine paying £42 for 2 scoops of ice cream. I’m never going there and I urge anyone with kids taller than 1.4 ti not bother. Not only is their attitude bad their food has even reduced in standard. Food is watered down and stale. Very bad place.

One big scam restaurant which gives you access to bland food. All meat was bland or spicy (old practice when you want to hide when meat is not fresh) or had hard skin. I was thinking maybe deserts will be fine... ahh i was so wrong. Jelly was not even sweet and have feeling im eating jelly buyed in packaging at shop... looks like homemade still wins, i don't know where they buyed ice cream but must be cheaper than in aldi as they are without any taste xD and cakes supposed be checked by someone before they gave them on table as don't know how many kilograms of sugar someone putted there as cake was not even wet xD Like my friends i never seen chocolate fountain running in that place like on pictures. If you want another drink you need to ask service which of course is busy by the most of time (many people). The best is the happy birthday songs every average 30 minutes xD In my opinion 30 pounds per person is scam and one big joke in place where you can't even park as there is small parking always busy.

You can eat yourself until you pass out. 22 bucks per person, excluding drinks. Drinks must be purchased separately.

Very friendly waiters and very good food. I recommend.

I just realized that I am a student and I was tricked into working full time and did not receive any salary from Mandarin. I tried to check my salary but Mandarin blocked me and I quit since July. Until now, I still have not received about 1500 pounds salary from Mandarin.

Food was amazing will definitely be coming back again

I recently had the pleasure of dining at your Mandarin buffet restaurant, and I must say it was a delightful experience! The food was not only nice but also incredibly delicious. I was impressed by the wide variety of dishes available, catering to all tastes and preferences. Each dish was well-prepared and full of flavor, making it hard to choose just one favorite! The ambiance was inviting, and the staff were friendly and attentive. I will definitely be returning to enjoy more of your fantastic offerings. Keep up the great work!

Food quality not incredible, but good for the price, lots of choice inclusive of some interesting western bits and pieces. (Yorkshire puddings?!?). Kids loved the candy floss machine. Service was really good and very attentive.

As a buffet restaurant it's very good. Lots of choice, some dishes taste a bit similar (a few of the chicken ones). Strangely the best thing I found were mini sausage rolls 😁😁😁 Big prawns, crispy seaweed, duck pancakes, all good.

I went there with family members and we all love it... A visit is highly recommended 👏.

So much food and so much variety from noodles rice to sushi and don't forget the jelly and Ice cream this place is worth it's weight in gold!

Very good food but very crowded. Is better to book a table if you want to go there.

Bland overcooked Slapped together wambam thank you Maam type situation with the Food. Noodles were tasteless. Loads of similar dishes. Overall a delicious selection however the massive queues at the hot buffet section of the restaurant make it a very off putting experience. Toilets smelt a bit funky. Customer Service was on point.

The food was aight but charging our 1 year old daughter is crazy they charged us 5 pound for 1 baby like are u mad

Absolutely rip off…charging a one year old for a meal,that's just ridiculous. What one year old would eat a large meal…mean and angry looking staff as well

If you go in the evening on anyday you'll struggle to find parking. The food now isn't very good. It use to be lovely but when we went recently there was no flavor and everything just tasted like cardboard.

First time there ,lovely selection of food buffet style. Eat as much as you like.

Left in tears! Arrived at the restaurant at 4pm today with my husband. Hadn't booked, but as it was 4pm on a Sunday, we took a chance. The man allocating tables inside the main entrance (the manager, I think), gave us a table, and the waitress took us to our seats. However, our table was so incredibly close to the people sitting next to us, I felt suddenly very uncomfortable, and asked if we could be moved. (This restaurant is enormous. It's 4pm on Sunday, and there are ample empty tables). The manager/table allocator, became so instantly furious at my request, he literally shouted at me. He was marching me around the place, with flailing arms, pointing and yelling at me about how "all the tables are close together! Because we need to survive you know!". I tried to explain that was OK, but that I would just prefer to sit next to an unoccupied table, if possible, but he wasn't listening and just continued to twist up his face, and spit at me further. I think I was so stunned (as a simple request to move tables seemed very reasonable to me, especially given how many empty tables were available), that I went and sat back down in my chair to process what had just happened. This emphatically rude and unprofessional gentleman then proceeded, in a very animated fashion, to point and complain loudly about me to the waitress standing next to him. He then engaged another member of staff in the same conversation, loudly, shouting down the walkway to one another next to where we were still sitting. The two tables of people next to us, were understandably staring right at us, having had their meals so rudely interrupted, and the entire ordeal was completely humiliating and honestly, quite traumatic. Especially for a socially anxious person, who has a been working hard to overcome a significant phobia of eating in front of others, and has finally been spontaneous and plucked up the courage to attend what is described in Google reviews as a "good restaurant", with "polite, friendly and accommodating staff". Honestly, all he needed to say was "I'm sorry madam, all of our tables are reserved and will be full before you finish your meal". Or, "as you didn't book, I'm afraid this is all we can offer". Or any of the other vast number of possible, proportionate responses available. This behaviour was totally uncalled for, reactive, egotistical and offensive, and I am utterly appalled to think that any service would feel justified in treating their customers this way. I'm not surprised they "need to survive"! If you enjoy being spoken to disrespectfully, being publically dressed down and humiliated, and leaving a place hungry and in tears before you've even so much as ordered a drink, then this is the place for you. Alternatively, you can spend your money at Karen's. Deeply disappointed.

It's a buffet! It's pretty good quality. You can ask them to cook food for you (that's the premium stuff) and the staff are great.

AWFUL had a 2nd bad experience here. Benefit of the doubt first time, but not again. First visit the manager appeared with a bill and wanted my 85 year old father to pay immediately. I stopped the transaction and discovered a huge overcharge. They did obviously rectify this, but NO APOLOGY. Stupidly visited again. When it came to the bill, the same manager did not want to provide a bill just wanted my elderly father to insert his card into the machine whilst almost intimidating him to press 20% tip button. I halted this and the so called manager was very rude. NEVER AGAIN, EXTORTIONATE DRINKS PRICES £5.99 for carsberg AWFUL EXPERIENCE. BETTER OFF AT ORIENTAL PARADISE DOWN THE ROAD.

As a Hongkonger, I really love the taste of the food. It is hygiene, tasty and reasonable price. Also, there is a parking with 2.5 hours free. We came there to celebrate my wife’s birthday and felt very satisfied. Keep up the good work.

Food was alright. Lots of variety. All seemed fresh and warm. Desserts however... No flavour. All tasted plastic. No chocolate fountain. The cocktails are £9.50 and taste similar to pre mixed ones from a carton.

The restaurant is very good with so many people to help you and show you your seat. They might be a little strict at serving food and the bill is quite pricey but they have a large variety of cushiness to try from British, American to Thai. There is also a candy cotton machine and fortune cookies to you to enjoy. They have lots of desserts such as cake, ice cream and freshly cooked pancakes from the nice chefs to serve to you. You can also customise it with your favourite toppings. Honestly, If you wanna go anywhere very nice for an occasion In Northampton or anywhere near, I recommend going here!

Always love it here. Staff are very accommodating and kind, the door is always opened for you and staff always take you to your seat. There is a wide variety of food, definitely something for everyone. There is an abundance of dessert choices, including a candy floss machine, fruit, pancakes (made fresh), ice cream, trifle, etc etc! There are 2 large rooms and even when packed, there’s plenty of room when getting food. The food is also regularly refilled so there is rarely an empty/low tray.

Went on Saturday with family and the food was quality and service was fast and friendly.xx

5 of us ate here for the first time on recommendation. The restaurant is very clean & spacious. The staff very friendly and efficient. As it was our first visit we were taken to the food and explained where everything was. Food was delicious, fresh & no cross dish contamination or spills. Best buffet style we've experienced. Good value for money. We'll definitely be back. Thank you.

Great selection of food but please be aware that they charge extra if you waste to much so only grab what you can eat, as its all you can eat you can always get more

Great family night out. Children able to go and help themselves all evening, no worries about bills getting high as fixed price.

It’s a buffet, nothing fancy but the food is amazing and staff are attentive

lovely night great choice of food on the buffet staff are friendly and professional definitely visiting again

I would say book your table as this is a very busy restaurant, the food is amazing and you can go up as many times that your stomach will let you, the staff are so friendly, definitely going again, but again book a table to avoid disappointment- a very big 5 stars and more

Best Chinese buffet in the land absolutely fantastic, loved it.

Recommended Food nicely cooked and fresh. Delicious dishes. Plenty of choice and never seemed to be any shortages. Great deserts, again ample choice. Service friendly and efficient. Free parking for 2.5 hours

The food is lovely but the bar service and drinks prices are ridiculous. A great selection of delicious food but £5.90 for a pint of Carlsberg shandy. Inexperienced bar staff made a hash of our order. Plates are cleared quickly allowing you to go back up to the buffet. Prawns were a good size and tasty but mussels were tiny and dried up. Lacks atmosphere.

This place is good but it just missing things like more food more sweets and maby different drinks ! I eat the food and I hated it why doesn’t it have taste ?

The food is very good and tasty. The place is very nice and tidy.Waiters are always there to assist you with a friendly smile.Good set up.A variety of delicious dishes to choose from.

We were admitted late, and due to this the very friendly and helpful manager gave us a discount, as with modern buffets some of the food was very good but other dishes were lacking, however due the discount I had to give 4 stars, at normal price it would have been a 3. Staff were friendly restaurant was clean and well spaced out.

The food here is delicious, with lots of variety and something for everyone. The bar and waiting staff are lovely, very helpful. The owner (I think) was a bit off with me when I suggested my daughter (10) should qualify for a kids price, which I thought was a bit tight considering there were 16 of us! It was also chaotically busy, and therefore the bar was slow. Overall good and everyone enjoyed their meals

Very busy if you don't book you will be waiting outside, apart from that STUFFED 😉

Awsome place .. loads of foods to choose from . Definitely recommend

Food was overcooked and some had been under the heat lamps s o long it had dried out. The service was none rubbish you had to chase down staff to get a round of drinks. And the noise was horrendous.

Great buffet with excellent food and reasonable prices. Enjoying the experience every time I’m visiting this place

Food was all fresh, well presented, fantastic variety, something for everyone. Waiting staff were polite and attentive. As it is one big open plan dining area with high ceiling it was very noisey and layout was like a canteen more than a restaurant.

Fantastic food, real value for money.

A nice restaurant with a large selection of food. There is a cook to order teppanyaki grill and a crepe station in the dessert area. It can get quite crowded during busy periods

Family do place, buzzy and cheerful

Took the family for a meal yesterday and everyone enjoyed it. Food tasted great with lots of choice. You get 1hr 45 mins, which is ample time for most. Parking may be a little tricky on evenings and weekends though.

The quality of the food has noticeably declined.

It was our first time visiting here tonight. My partner and I had a wonderful evening. The food is amazing, so tasty, and there’s so much to choose from, including a live cooking section. There was also a good selection of food for children too. I noticed that there were fish fingers and chicken nuggets amongst other items. The desserts, there was a wide selection to choose from and they were also very tasty. Staff are very friendly and welcoming and always ready to help. The restaurant itself was very clean and tidy. Because of this it’s no wonder it was so busy. We shall definitely be returning. Thank you for such a wonderful evening.

It's not too bad as buffets go. Plenty of choice with the beef and pork dishes being tasty.

Very good buffet, good selection of food and very tasty. Only downfall was the long queues for the candy floss and drink prices were expensive

Lovely food. Clean environment.

Myself and my sons we love there. Clean, so many food choices, staff very polite and professional. Great customer Service. We will definitely go back again.

The food provided by this restaurant was fresh and ready with even an option for them to prepare additional meals based on fresh ingredients that they had on display. The waiters were always around and responded promptly with your order. Be sure to make a booking before you arrive since walk ins are not accepted due to obvious demand reasons.

All the chicken dishes were extremely dry.

Great experience but please do prebook as you're seated in a quieter area with easier access to the buffet and drinks served at your table.

Food was ok but staff mainly a older male was very rude

Loads of choice. Nice and clean.

Best chinese in Northampton hands down!

Nice place. Tasty food. I love to spend my birthday with family there.

Been going here for 10 years but yesterday's experience was very poor. Starter food was overcooked, dry and cold and the staff were more interested in talking to each other rather than serving the customers as couldn't get there attention to order drinks. Also the rice was really hard like bullets. Shame as it was my twins birthday and it was ruined. As I say we've been coming here for 10yrs but not sure we will come again.

Some of the crispy chickens and beefs were stale and there were plates that were dirty. Very noisy atmosphere and the waiting staff are not really attentive. They placed a guide dog right next to my newborn, (I love dogs but are you serious??) It’s too expensive for what it’s worth, they need to reevaluate the price because this is not worth even dressing up for.

Brilliant staff, hidden gem absolutely stunning drinks!!!

Food is fine and so is price. Better than a traditional fast food but still not better than home made

Lots of food types and choices for all ages.. polite staff at service to make your day special. Great ambience. I love the veggies and sea foods! Good value for money.

It was the first and not the last. Very tasty, great choice. You can come with children, as there is a large selection (chips, fries, nuggets, and chicken). Very friendly staff, especially the administrator, approached each table whether everything was fine (you want to drink). Definitely will come again.

The restaurant was lovely, the food was very good. Visited twice this month already.